This year over 20,000 people gathered for the centennial anniversary of the Victory Square Remembrance Day ceremony in Vancouver, B.C., and Kari Wang was there.
She was selected from thousands of students as the winner of this year’s Cam Cathcart Youth Remembrance Award, a poetry award created in 2006 by its namesake – long-time ceremony director Cam Cathcart, who died a few years back – to engage young people in Remembrance Day.
I am proud to say that I am one of Kari’s mentors and not embarrassed to note that when she received this news I jumped for joy and also cried with pride when, Kari, a quiet, 11-year-old took the stage on November 11th and shared her poem with the nation in a powerful, reflective voice.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke of how Kari understood the selflessness and sacrifices that citizens had made for the freedoms we have today. He said her poem was, “Absolutely amazing,” and that she was, “incredibly articulate,” that, “she blew us all away with her incredible words, without even looking at notes.” He added that, “Her poem means a lot to the group here and to everyone in the country.”
The newscasters on Global TV also referred to her poem as beautiful and that Kari, at 11 years old is very wise, that she gives us encouragement that young people will continue to remember. They commented that her poem was stirring and moving and that they were thankful for her words.
We are all very proud of Kari and how she embodies LEAD values, how creative she is and how brave she is to read in front of so many people, sharing her reflections on remembrance. You can witness Kari reciting her poem about 45 minutes into any of the broadcasts of Remembrance Day from Victory Square Vancouver, November 11th, 2024 on CBC, Global, CHEK and CTV news. Kari will also be appearing at our Arts Soiree on December 4th as a guest presenter.
With permission from the author, a copy of her poem is below. Congratulations Kari!
The Colour of Remembrance
By Kari Wang
If remembrance was a colour,
It would be red and white.
The colour of the Canadian flag.
If remembrance was a sound,
It would be people’s heartbeats,
The worried heartbeats of the soldiers and the families that are waiting for them to come home.
If remembrance was a smell,
It would be a comforting smell from home.
The cozy place that was always welcoming to you.
If remembrance was a feeling,
It would be hopeful.
The hope of warm hugs and good friends when you return.
If remembrance was a taste,
It would be bitter,
The bitterness of coffee without cream,
Like a family that has been split apart.
If remembrance was a place,
It would be a cenotaph.
Where names of long-ago heroes are
written on the stone for people to remember.
If remembrance has a purpose,
It is to recognize and remember all
the people that have participated in wars.
So that we could have peace and freedom.